


Treasonous Breath

by Aris Merquoni (ArisTGD)



Series: Clean Steam and Sky [3]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Community: kink_bingo, M/M, Scars/Scarification
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-13
Updated: 2010-08-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 01:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArisTGD/pseuds/Aris%20Merquoni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James doesn't mind being tricked into Jack's bed. He minds questions about the scar. Written for the "scars/scarification" prompt for kink_bingo 2010.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treasonous Breath

James realizes he's in trouble the first time he follows Sparrow back to his ship after a lost book.

"You're joking," he says after he digs the book out from under Sparrow's mattress.

"Me? Never," Jack says, and catches him with a kiss before he can quite finish straightening up. And then it's only a stumble until they're both on the bed, James' hat flying to God-knows-where and Jack using his leg to press James' thighs open. And it's such a relief to be wanted, to be desired like this, even after--

He grabs Jack and kisses him and reaches after Jack's cock so that he doesn't have to think about that. He clenches his hands in Jack's hair and begs until Jack fucks him so that he doesn't have to think about any of that, until his mind is empty of everything except sex and the taste of sweat.

Jack fucks him until he nearly passes out, but he's still able to grab Jack's fingers away when they start to trace the scar on his chest.

Jack looks at him quizzically. "Just looking, mate."

"Don't," he says, but his voice lacks authority. "Just... don't."

"Why're you so afraid of it?" Jack asks, then leans over and breathes hot on his skin.

The scar is a perfect circle, little more than an inch across, over his heart. He doesn't remember the surgeon cutting through his skin to attach the anabaric leads, but he's had plenty of time since to read about the procedure. He knows it's not a sign of failure, or weakness.

"Why do you--" he responds, then can't figure out how to finish the question. "I'm not."

Jack's tongue flicks out and traces the cardinal points on his skin, around the circle three times before he pulls back. "It's just impressive, I think," he says.

"I was lucky," James says, quietly, as though he's tempting fate even _mentioning_ it. "That's all."

Jack rubs his fingers over the scar again, and James can feel it, the change when Jack's fingertips hit the scabbed-over skin. It sends an almost anabaric spark through him, like a shock to the heart kick-starting the rhythm.

"I'm glad," Jack says, "that you're lucky."

James hesitates for another moment, then reaches up and laces his fingers with Jack's, awkwardly, there over the scar. Jack leans down to kiss him again. And it might be a fluke that he's alive, it might be a miracle, but it's not chance that brought him here, into Jack's bed, into Jack's life.

"I've never met an airman who didn't take life for granted before," Jack says. "Makes you a fair bit more interesting, and a lot less likely to throw it away."

James nods. "Not planning on it."

"Oh, good," Jack says. He tightens his fingers around James', intense and welcoming pressure. "Make sure it stays that way."

He wants to promise, really he does. Moments like this it all seems far away--what the scar represents, the five and a half minutes (or seven minutes or... he doesn't even think how long) he spent not in this world. It feels as though he can lie in Jack's bed, safe and protected, as though Jack's questions won't do any more damage than the Admiralty's and the scar won't ever bleed if it's picked at enough.

"Just don't lose any more damn library books," he finally says. "Or I'm not going to be able to take this position seriously."

"Fine, mate," Jack lies. "Anything you say."


End file.
